Blog Archives

The ability to compile a completely new custom Linux kernel makes it easy to create devices based on the HLK-RM04 module. There are many software packages that are available as part of OpenWRT. Once you can compile your own kernel you have the option to add your own custom code to the build. Building a…

WS2812B wiring using ribbon cable and IDC connectors. Road Warrior is a tiny Arduino Uno design that is built for traveling in a knapsack. The raw materials going into a new WiFi enabled GRBL CNC controller I’m designing. A wearable pendant that runs on one coin cell. Images can be programmed using the Arduino environment.…

In this step we install a set of tools that allow you to build the Uboot loader. This is not generally required because I have created two Uboot images for your use. However if you want to change Uboot this tool path installation will let you customize your Linux install. It is also possible to…

The build environment for HLK-RM04 development is quite easy to setup on a Linux computer or virtual machine. I have used Ubuntu12 for this project and I would suggest starting there because the build dependencies are already worked out for you. One small caveat is that you must use a 32 bit Ubuntu iso because…

It has been a long time coming but we are finally ready to install OpenWRT. I have provided a pre-built image for this. Using the Uboot loader we can install a new Linux image on our module. This only takes a few minutes so let’s get started. Once you have completed this step you can…

Installing Uboot over factory default The first step in preparing an HLK-RM04 module for your own use is to enable the Uboot loader. Uboot is a full featured, bootloader that initializes the system on a chip so that it is ready to run Linux. Uboot include a TFTP loader so that you can transfer images…

As I continue to develop embedded Linux designs I needed a smaller design that can be deployed as a standalone project. The new design consists of a small 4x5cm PCB that acts as a carrier for the HLK_RM04 wifi module. I needed this PCB to provide a USB to serial port for debugging as well…

Learn to assemble and reflow solder a double sided SMT Arduino printed circuit board. At the end of this workshop you will have a working Arduino that you can take home. Note that every effort will be made to ensure you are successful but it is still possible to assembly the board in a way…

Step1 – Creating a layout from the schematic Open the “Road_Warrior” schematic. From the file menu select “switch to board” setup the placement grid by typing “grid mm” and “grid 1” in the command line. This sets the grid to a 1mm metric grid. You could also have used “grid inch” and “grid 0.1″ to…

I was thinking about how I might design a better looking body for my paper car designs. I needed the design process to be simple to allow young students to design their own car bodies which could be 3D printed. The difficulty with traditional design tools is they are complex to learn and since the…